Hidden True Crime - Lindsay Clancy Deep Dive | EVERYTHING You Need to Know Ahead of the Trial- Murder or Mentally Ill?

Episode Date: July 21, 2026

A mother. Three children. One of the most heartbreaking criminal cases in America. As jury selection begins in the Lindsay Clancy trial, Hidden True Crime takes an in-depth look at everything that happened before the deaths of Cora, Dawson, and Callan Clancy. Beyond the headlines, we examine Lindsay Clancy's months-long mental health decline through medical records, psychiatric evaluations, medication history, postpartum depression, postpartum psychosis, bipolar disorder, and the expert opinions that now sit at the center of this case. We'll walk through the complete timeline—from the family's seemingly ordinary final day together to Patrick Clancy's devastating 911 call, the prosecution's theory of premeditated murder, and the defense's claim that Lindsay was suffering from severe postpartum psychosis and command hallucinations. What warning signs were missed? Did the mental health system fail this family? And ultimately, was Lindsay Clancy criminally responsible for the deaths of her three children? Before testimony begins, this is the complete story—and everything you need to know before trial. About Hidden True Crime What started as a simple conversation at their dinner table became a captivating podcast. Join the dynamic duo of Dr. John Matthias, a criminal psychologist, and Lauren Matthias, an investigative journalist, as they delve into the psychological facets of unthinkable crimes every week. Their unique perspectives and in-depth analysis offer a fresh take on true crime storytelling. Thank you for your support through sponsorships, subscribing, listening, and becoming a Patreon member at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon.com/HiddenTrueCrime⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Don't miss the three-episode premiere of the Hulu original series Furious on July 27th, only on Hulu on Disney Plus. The last day, Lindsay Clancy spent with her children, seemed completely ordinary, ordinary in the best way. A family at home together on a cold January afternoon in Duxbury. Lindsay, a labor and delivery nurse, bundled her three little ones into their warm winter gear, and they ventured outside and into the yard of their colonial blue, Cape Codd-style home to build a snowman. Lindsay snapped photographs of the moment while her children's small hands packed snow into shapes. And if you didn't know what was coming, and I don't think anyone could have imagined what

was coming, you'd simply think that this was just another winter afternoon, a beautifully ordinary winter afternoon, a mom and her three littles making memory. in Massachusetts. But inside that same home, a home with weathered cedar shingles and black shutters, something was already unraveling the familiar humdrum of an otherwise ordinary day. Patrick Clancy, a supportive and doting husband, decided to step out and run some errands, errands for the family, medicine for the kids, dinner, takeout. Lindsay requested the Mediterranean Bowl from 3V, a local restaurant in Plymouth. These were errands for things a family of five needs when their reliable dad on a winter day decides to go out and help. And so it was his turn to bundle up and

venture out into the cold, leaving behind a house full of the usual noises, toys, footsteps, the chaotic sounds of three young thriving children. So when he returned, it was the silence that hit him first. He knew silence was not part of their home, unless, of course, it was late at night and all three children were tucked and bundled in bed. It was a silence that didn't make sense. It was a silence that felt absolutely wrong. He yelled for Lindsay and the kids. Nothing. And then he saw something that escalated his concerns into sheer panic. He said, saw blood, with his mind racing and his fears escalating each and every second, every step. Patrick bolted upstairs yelling Lindsay's name. He ran into the bedroom and he noticed the bedroom

window open. In January, in Massachusetts, open, he looked out of the window and witnessed a horrific scene. Lindsay on the ground barely conscious. He ran to her side. Her wrists and throat had been slit. Who did this? Or had Lindsay jumped from her own bedroom window? Now frantic to get his wife helped Patrick called 911. What did you do? Patrick asked Lindsay while on the phone with 911. While unable to move, she was able to muster in simple terms. She had done this. She had jumped. She had caused her own injuries. Patrick's mind then turned to their three little ones. His mind continued to spin. Where were their three children? Where were the kids? Was five-year-old Cora with baby Callan? Where was three-year-old Dawson? Were they safe?

Did they go to get help? Were they hiding? Where are the kids? He asked her while on the phone with 911. His mind continuing to race desperate for help while the 911 operator listened and tried to give direction during an unfolding scene. In the basement, Lindsay tells Patrick. Moments later, Patrick Clancy is screaming, screams of agony, screams of torment and shock as he enters the basement. And he finds his three children,

his precious babies unconscious, each obviously strangled. And in an instant, Patrick Clancy's beautiful, beautifully ordinary life morphs into the very opposite. It becomes unfathomable horror, the unthinkable. It becomes overwhelming grief, torment, and unbearable heartache. This crime haunts not only the Clancy family and not only all of Duxbury, Massachusetts, but it haunts the world, because this is anything but an ordinary case. It's unimaginable. Hidden true crimes have been following this case since the very beginning.

Since the week Patrick discovered his children's lifeless bodies and has now paralyzed wife laying in the snow. My co-host, criminal psychologist, Dr. John Matthias, has weighed in and will continue to do so in following episodes. While the brutality of this day in January of 2023 is what has made headlines, it's the question, how any mother could do this that we want to understand. We want to understand why. What is hidden? I've dug deep. Just like you, I want to understand. And what I've uncovered is nothing less than shocking. It's detailed. It's so much more than any of the headlines. It's everything that you need to know about this crime and case. Stick with me for all of it. I'm Lauren Mathias. And this is hidden true crime. A tragedy of this nature doesn't typically erupt out of nowhere. And according to Patrick

Clancy, his wife, Lindsay, had been struggling for months. A spiraling, worsening mental illness that he says her entire mental health team and their treatment plan, not only did it not help his wife, Patrick claims it accelerated her absolute collapse. The state, the prosecution, believes that Lindsay planned the killings with intent and clarity. the defense argues that she was in the grip of postpartum psychosis, the psychosis so severe that she isn't criminally responsible for her actions, killing her own children. These are two very different realities, extremely different interpretations of this case. The only thing both sides agree on is the absolutely devastating outcome.

And that question, whether Lindsay Clancy is a murderer or a mother lost in a catastrophic, psychiatric break will soon be in the hands of a jury. And before we even cover every moment of the trial, every witness, every expert, every piece of evidence here at Hidden True Crime, we are going to do what we always do and walk through this case from the very beginning. And that begins with Lindsay and Patrick and the Clancy family. Lindsay Marie Musgrove was born on August 11, 1990 to Paula and Mike Musgrove. She grew up on this quiet little street off Pond Hill Road in Wallingford, Connecticut, alongside her sister Allison. From early on, Lindsay was one of those kids who just excelled. She was the student teachers remembered for all the right reasons.

She graduated from Lyman Hall High School, then went on to attend Quinnipiac University, where she earned her biology degree. People who knew her back then said, she had determination. Like she already knew that her life was going to revolve around helping people. After graduation, she pushed herself even harder, completing an accelerated nursing program at Massachusetts General Hospital. That program is intense. It's demanding and it's fast, but somewhere in the middle of all that studying and growing up, she met Patrick Clancy, A friend who knew his sister introduced the pair, and they fell madly in love. They wanted the same things, a partnership, children, and a family.

Those who knew Lindsay say she always wanted to be a mother. Lindsay even spent nine years as a labor and delivery nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital. People who worked with her said that she loved nursing. She loved her patients, and she found deep purpose there. She and Patrick, Patrick worked at Microsoft, married in December of 2016, and began to build their life together in Duxbury, Massachusetts. And Lindsay fulfilled her motherhood dreams quickly. She gave birth to three children in less than five years, and each one brought their

own little energy into the Clancy home. Cora Marie was born on Christmas Eve, a Christmas baby in 2017. Cora had this laugh that people still talk about. But what stood out most was her caring nature. She wasn't shy but was described as cautious. She observed before opening up to just anyone. Cora used to say that she wanted to be a doctor and a mama when she grew up. And she practiced by giving her baby brother Callan little chickups.

She loved her dolls, babies, sloths, and unicorns. She loved tea parties and lunches with her nassies. and grandpa. She knew everything there was to know about princesses, especially Sophia the first. And most of all, she loved being a big sister. And then there was Dawson born in the fall of 2019. Dawson had these bold, brown eyes that made him look like he already understood the world a little more than he should, an old soul. He was generous in a way that was very rare for a toddler, always willing to share his toys. His kindness was the thing that everyone noticed first. He loved trucks and tractors, dinosaurs, paw patrol, worker guys, anything that involved motion or adventure.

He was mischievous, smart, and full of energy. And then came Callan in May of 2022. Callan was the easygoing one, the perfect third child. He was the baby who just fell into the family rhythm without missing a beat. He was constantly smiling, always bright, always happy. In fact, they called him happy Callan. That was literally his nickname, and it suited him perfectly. People describe Lindsay as a deeply dedicated mother, sometimes overly dedicated. The kind of mom who works twice as hard as everyone and rarely stops to rest. In fact, Patrick said, she loved their children fiercely and never took her frustration out on them.

She stayed affectionate, present, and gentle. She poured herself into motherhood with everything she had. Lindsay's mother-in-law Susan Clancy has also said that she loved everything about Lindsay. She called her fun, loving, doting, the kind of wife and mother who smiled all of the time. And her sister, Alice and Olga, she said that Lindsay was the kind of person who cared deeply for the people she loved. She showed up. She showed up for celebrations. She wrote handwritten notes to express her appreciation and somehow always found the right words when someone needed comfort.

Most of all, Lindsay was said to have consistently expressed affection for her children and for Patrick. It wasn't subtle. She loved them openly and with her whole heart. During her first pregnancy with Cora, Lindsay dealt with anxiety after having an abnormal ultrasound. It eventually resolved. but it did leave a mark on Lindsay emotionally. So after Cora was born, she had some postpartum anxiety, but she managed it. She went back to part-time work, breastfed for a year, and life settled into a rhythm once again.

But things changed after her second pregnancy. When Dawson was born, Lindsay was initially elated. Patrick described it, though, as manic behavior that lasted for days. In October 2020, she had this burst of energy where she started decluttering everything, saying she wanted to simplify her life. She cleaned obsessively, threw things out and talked about feeling amazingly on top of things. Her thoughts raced. She felt pressure to stay active. It was like her mind was running faster than her body could keep up. Around two months postpartum, anxiety crept in. A psychiatrist offered her Zoloft, but she didn't. declined because she was breastfeeding. Instead, she managed her symptoms through exercise,

healthy eating, meditation, and therapy. And it worked. The anxiety resolved. But looking back, these episodes were early signs, hypomanic symptoms after Dawson's birth, followed by anxiety. These were not small things. They were warnings. And then Kim Callan, born on May 26, 2022, both Lindsay and Patrick took parental leave, and at first, Lindsay seemed energized. But this wasn't normal postpartum energy. It was activation, pure activation. It was, again, sort of this hypomania. One week after giving birth, she started an intense exercise routine. Yeah, one week. She woke up at four in the morning before anyone else ran three miles, did 30 minutes on the peloton, then 30 minutes of aerobics. On July 4th, just five weeks

postpartum, she ran a five-mile race. That's not typical recovery behavior. That's someone whose mind is pushing her body far past what it should be doing. Her sister Allison noticed changes too. Lindsay, who was usually sensible and grounded, suddenly bought into a beach body multi-level marketing. She purchased products to resell, made exercise videos, posted them online, and encouraged friends to join. It seemed to be impulsive and out of character. It was another sign to her family. Around 12 weeks postpartum, everything changed. Lindsay's mood crashed. The activation flipped into anxiety and depression. She developed debilitating insomnia, sleeping only about three hours a night. She was exhausted

during the day. She had no motivation. She could not exercise. Her body felt heavy like every movement required effort. Even dressing or showering felt like a chore. Her parents came from out of state to help because it was clear that Lindsay could not keep going like this. Recognizing that something was seriously wrong, Lindsay sought psychiatric care on her own. On September 12, 22, she found Dr. Jennifer Tufts online and scheduled an appointment. At that first visit, her Edingberg Postnatal Depression Scale score was 23, which indicates severe depression. Dr. Tufts prescribed Zoloft, even though Lindsay was still hesitant because of breastfeeding. She waited about two weeks before taking it still worried, but eventually started in mid-October

because she knew that she needed help. After increasing the dose from 25 milligrams to 50 milligrams, she had a severe reaction. She did not sleep for 48 hours. Her thoughts raised. Her anxiety worsened. She felt awful. This wasn't a mild side effect.

It was a dramatic shift, a clear sign of medication-induced activation, which is known to be strongly associated with bipolar disorder and something her doctor, in many people's opinion, should have noticed. Lindsay reported these symptoms immediately. But instead of recognizing the significance of this reaction, Dr. Tufts simply discontinued the Zoloft and prescribed Ativan and Benadryl for sleep. Even after tapering off those medications, Lindsay's insomnia persisted.

She developed cardiac palpitations and her condition continued to deteriorate. By November 16th, 2022, things were so severe that Lindsay took herself to the emergency room at South Shore Hospital. She reported the insomnia. She reported the anxiety, the palpitations. The ER doctor prescribed trazodone, but that didn't help either. Patrick's mother, who worked as a nurse at South Shore Hospital, reached out to the South Shore Prenatal Behavioral Health Program on November 20th, trying to get Lindsay more help. Nurse practitioner, Julie Paul, contacted Lindsay, and Lindsay told her that she was very frustrated and very scared. She said that she was experiencing extreme, extreme insomnia, averaging only three hours of sleep at night and racing thoughts.

Nurse Paul prescribed Prozac on November 21st. After just four days, Lindsay reported that Prozac made her insomnia even worse. She told her providers immediately, and they discontinued it. This was the second antidepressant that caused activation and worsening insomnia. Another critical red flag. Another missed warning. By late November 2022, things were spirally in a way that Lindsay could feel but could not control. On November 25th, nurse practitioner Julie Paul prescribed three medications at once, Ambien, Remmeron, and Clonopin. Lindsay was desperate for sleep, desperate for relief, and she

tried what was given to her. But the very next day, after taking Remmerin, something terrifying happened. She slipped into disassociation. The world around her felt unreal, distorted, and distant. She couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't real. She became disoriented and forgetful. felt disconnected from her own body like she was watching herself from somewhere far away. She could not drive. She could not be alone. On November 28th, she reported all of this to her providers. She told them that she was still sleeping only three or four hours a night, still disoriented, still forgetful. She was trying to communicate clearly, trying to get help, but the help she needed wasn't coming.

On November 29, she began treatment with Nurse Gelada. Lindsay told her she was anxious and frightened about what was happening, and she blamed herself. That's something people don't talk about enough, when your mind is unraveling and you often think it's your fault. Nurse Gelotta, to her credit, did consider a bipolar presentation and prescribed syriquil, a medication used as both an antipsychotic and a mood stabilizer. her. But once Lindsay started Syracool, her condition did not stabilize. It collapsed. She developed suitoral ideation. She began experiencing what she called intrusive thoughts, but they were actually auditory hallucinations, a voice telling her, quote, I will not be the same.

I want to die. Lindsay told her husband. She told her parents. She told her providers. She was not hiding anything she was trying to save herself. She described feeling emotionless like a zombie. She said that the medication made her feel hollowed out. On December 2nd, she told Nurse Jalada that she had lost 15 pounds, had no appetite, was having panic attacks, confusion, and could not focus. By December 4th, she was so terrified by the hallucinations that she called the new Bedford's hotline. She was told that it wasn't an emergency because she didn't have a specific plan. Imagine how that must have felt your hearing voices telling you to die and someone tells you it's not an emergency.

On December 5th, she met virtually with an aspire crisis support clinician. Again, she was told that she did not meet the criteria for inpatient treatment because she did not have a specific plan. She kept reaching out, and the system kept telling her she was not sick enough. On December 6th, Patrick went with her to see Nurse Gelada. He told her that Lindsay was 10,000 times worse since starting medication. He asked if they could stop everything and start from scratch. He even asked if there had been a mistake like the wrong medications being used.

And Nurse Gelada admitted it was possible. But instead of stopping, she continued increasing the Syracool Dole towards 400 milligrams per day. By December 13th, Lindsay was still deeply depressed, still without motivation, still having thoughts. She told Patrick she wanted all of it to be over. On December 15th, Patrick called Nurse Gillada's office and said Lindsay had had a devastating week. He said it was the worst day she'd ever had. Lindsay had loud auditory hallucinations all day, every day. She felt debilitated, exhausted, unable to get out of bed. The voices told her she would never be the same, never be herself again, that she was damaged, and that dying was the only option. In her psychotic

state, Lindsay told Patrick that she did have thoughts of harming the kids. She told her mother too. She also became paranoid, convinced people could hear her thoughts, convinced she would be locked in a hospital and have her children taken away. These weren't just fears. They were delusions. Her mind was breaking. While postpartum mental health disorders are starting to be discussed more, a lot of people don't realize that postpartum depression affects an estimated one in seven women and postpartum psychosis, though far more rare, still appears in one to two out of every 1,000 births. Those numbers aren't small when you consider how many mothers suffer in silence. Every one in 1,000. Many are terrified.

to tell a doctor the truth about their intrusive thoughts or delusions because they fear their children will be taken away or that they'll be labeled unfit, dangerous, or incapable. And when psychosis takes hold, the delusions can become devastating. Some mothers become convinced their children won't survive without them, or that the world is unsafe, or that the only way to protect their babies is through catastrophic, irrational actions that make sense only inside the distorted reality of their illness. But Lindsay wasn't hiding what she was experiencing. She was honest, but that still wasn't enough. There's pressure on mothers to come in with a mask, right, to present a facade that everything's fine. Like sometimes it's difficult. It's hard to go into a provider and say, hey, I'm having command hallucinations. And the voices are telling me to harm my kids.

Or to even say you're a mother of three and you want to harm your kids. maybe. Yeah. That can't be easy to say. I mean, as you say, hindsight bias, even mothers going through postpartum, they'll deny they're even going through it until after the fact. And then they'll look back and say, oh, you know, maybe I was and I couldn't admit it. On December 20th, her escalating suicide thoughts pushed her to the emergency room at Massachusetts General Hospital.

The ER suggested either admission to McLean Hospital or the partial hospitalization program at Women and Infants Hospital in Rhode Island. On December 21st, Lindsay admitted herself to the Women and Infants State Program. She took that step again on her own. She was still fighting for help, still trying to get better. Her chief complaint was that she felt numb and crazy depressed. She said she couldn't feel love. She said her life was becoming a disaster. She said she couldn't feel fear. She said she was messed up beyond repair. She had lost 15 pounds in one month. She had no motivation. She said it took all the effort in the world just to breathe. Her EPDS score was 23 against severe depression. Her GAD 7 score was 21, the highest category of anxiety. Despite all of this, Dr. Diaz at women and infants concluded that Lindsay had no postpartum depression.

and rejected a bipolar diagnosis because she supposedly had no history of hypomania or psychosis. But Dr. Diaz didn't take inadequate history. If she had asked about the early postpartum period, she would have learned about the hypomanic episode that began immediately after Callan's birth. Dr. Diaz accepted Lindsay and Patrick's belief that her symptoms were due to over-medication and recommended weaning the Syracool. The clinical team believed that her symptoms were more pharmacologically induced than purely depressive. Women and infants determined their day program was not appropriate for her and reached out to Nurse Jolada.

And Nurse Jolada didn't respond. After reducing Syracquil, Lindsay's self-harm thoughts, her ideation surged again. By December 29th, she told Patrick, quote, I can't tough it out anymore. I need to go to McLean. And by the end of December, 2022, Lindsay was running out of places to turn. On December 30th,

she went back to the Massachusetts General Hospital emergency room. They suggested she be admitted to McLean Hospital, which is known as a top psychiatric hospital in the country. The next day, December 31st, Lindsay admitted herself. She walked right in because she knew she needed help. And she was terrified of what her mind was doing to her. Her admitting symptoms painted a heartbreaking picture. She had passive ideation of self-harm.

She felt detached from reality. She felt hopeless. She had no appetite, no energy, no motivation. She could not find joy in anything. Her thoughts raced, but she couldn't organize them. Her memory was slipping. She was anxious. She could not sleep.

Her insight and judgment were documented. documented as limited. She was unraveling and Lindsay, she knew it. McLean placed her on a locked unit with 15 minutes checks, but the care she received was shockingly inadequate. She was admitted on New Year's Eve and because of the holiday, the place was running on a skeleton crew. Patients spent the evening doing puzzles and coloring. Nurses stayed behind a desk and glass. Lindsay did not even see a doctor until January 3rd, three days after she arrived, three days of waiting while her mind was in crisis. When she finally saw a doctor on January 3rd, they told her to stop Syracille and the benzodiazepines. They prescribed tracidone for sleep. The next day, January 4th,

Lindsay asked if she could go home for Cora's birthday. Her thoughts had improved a little since stopping Syracul, and she was approved for discharge. She was discharged in January 5th, after only five days, five days in the nation's top psychiatric hospital, despite her limited insight and judgment, she was released. And she was sent right back to the same outpatient providers whose care had already not helped her. After discharge, Dr. Goodhart from McLean called her. The call lasted 10 minutes.

She offered names of antidepressants. The staff suggested amatryptylene, yet another antidepressants. antidepressant, the same class of medication that had repeatedly caused her adverse reactions. When Lindsay left McLean, she thought to herself, it was just in the best hospital in the country, so there was not much hope. She decided she had to appear like she was okay. She told herself she had to do her best. That's what people do when the system fails them. They try to survive it. On January 6th, the day after her discharge, she returned to Dr. Tufts. Dr. Tufts diagnosed her with chronic major depressive disorder, single episode moderate.

She wrote that Lindsay's condition was deteriorating and that her medication was not effective. Despite all of this, the appointment only lasted 17 minutes. At Cora's birthday party that was held on January 7th, remember she was a Christmas Eve baby. With a birthday party being held January 7th, Lindsay was not herself. She smiled, but she could not converse. She avoided talking. She couldn't make sense of what people were saying. Within a week of leaving McLean, the hallucinations came back. On January 10th, she returned to Dr. Tufts, who switched her to Valium for a benzodiazepine taper. Dr. Tufts noted that at some point they would add an antidepressant. By January 16th, Lindsay was still drowning in debilitating depression. She had to force herself to do anything. The hallucinations continued. They told her to harm the children. They told her to kill herself. They told her she would never be the same. They told her dying was the only option. She said she felt like a zombie. Dr. Tufts prescribed amatryptylene at 10 milligrams per day.

On January 20th, Lindsay was so numb and so frightened by her thoughts that she researched on the computer. What is a psychopath? She wanted to know if she was one and whether there was a cure. That's how lost she felt. On January 23rd, she had another 17-minute appointment. She reported being more anxious with her heart racing. She said her morning anxiety was worse. Dr. Tufts wrote that Lindsay's mood was flat and anxious, that she had no motivation, that she was numb and that she had to force herself to get up and leave the house. Her state, was poor, her medication was not helping. Her insight was poor. Her condition was unchanged. Dr. Tufts increased the medication to 20 milligrams per day, the amyptylene. That night, Lindsay did not

sleep. So she's putting her faith in a system that she works in. He's putting her faith in a system she's devoted to. So of course she's going to trust that system. Yeah. And what happens is they overprescribe all these medications, they don't really coordinate treatment. They don't particularly refer her for therapy. I think she wasn't therapy for a little bit. It wasn't particularly helpful. She hospitalized herself for self-harming thoughts and behaviors,

or at least thoughts, ideation. She sought so much help. She sought so much help. She was hospitalized briefly. and was discharged fairly quickly without really kind of, you know, taking a step backward and trying to evaluate everything that was going on with her. And in the end, according to her, the heart of this, or the key to this is that they misdiagnosed her that she really had, it wasn't postpartum depression, it was postpartum bipolar.

disorder, that the postpartum depression with the wrong medication triggered her bipeller disorder, which became severe and escalated to the point of psychosis. Also, presumably, some of the medication may have had some side effects related to psychosis. On January 24th, according to Patrick, Lindsay seemed to be having one of her better days. But according to Lindsay, she woke severely depressed and was still, still having thoughts of self-harm. Regardless, she said, still got the children breakfast. She took Cora to the pediatrician because Cora had a stomach ache. There were no reports that anything unusual happened during that appointment. Later, Lindsay went outside with the kids. They built that last snowman, and she sent a picture to Patrick

and her mom. Even in the middle of her unraveling mind, she was still trying to be a mother. At 402 that afternoon, Lindsay made a search on her phone for children's Miralax. A few minutes later, at 413, she searched for a restaurant called 3V. She used maps to calculate the drive from their home to the restaurant. At 447, she called a local CVS pharmacy to ask whether they had Children's Miralax in stock. They did not, but said they had another similar medication. Then at 4.53 p.m. She texted Patrick. Any chance you want to do takeout from 3V? I didn't cook anything today. It's been a long day. At 510, Lindsay called the restaurant to place their dinner order and then texted to ask Patrick to pick up some medication from CVS. And after that, Patrick left the house. But this is where the state's version of events and the defense's version of events differ.

Because according to Lindsay and her team, her hallucinations have continued all day. And the reason she looked at the map to see how long it would take for Patrick to pick up dinner is because she did not want to be alone. However, the state believes that Lindsay was sending him on various errands and trying to determine how long she'd have alone with the children in order to carry out her very sinister plan. Well, when Patrick got to the CVS at 533, he called Lindsay, but she did not answer. But then a minute later, Lindsay called him back. Patrick later said that she sounded calm, but maybe a little distracted or like she was in the middle of doing something. In the middle of doing something.

After he picked up the medication, he drove to the restaurant, picked up their dinner, and then headed home. But what Patrick did not know was that while Lindsay was alone, with the children, everything inside her changed. She later described hearing a loud, demanding, repetitive voice. She described it as explicit and terrifying. The voice said, quote, this is your last chance. Kill the children so you can get yourself. And then again louder, more forceful. This is your last chance. You have to kill the kids so you can kill yourself. She said she felt a force come over her. What Lindsay allegedly experienced were command auditory

hallucinations, a demanding, powerful male voice explicitly ordered her. She said that she felt an overwhelming, irresistible compulsion to comply. She entered, she says, a disassociative dreamlike state where her physical actions felt disconnected from her conscious mind. She said her body was acting on its own and she was just watching it happen. She said, she had no choice but to follow the commands. She described it by saying, I lost all control. My body started acting without any control on my part. I was just following commands, all action. This voice demanded action. That's a quote from Lindsay. And in that disassociated state, Lindsay strangled each of her children using fitness bands. Yeah. She said, quote,

Go to God, baby, as she did it, as she did the unthinkable with fitness bands. Go to God, baby. Afterward, she attempted, as we know, to take her own life. She ingested a large quantity of medications. She inflicted deep lacerations to her wrists and to her neck. And then she jumped from her second floor window. it was approximately 20 feet to the ground. And then at 609 p.m., Patrick walked inside its front door at home,

and he immediately noticed that something was wrong, the house unusually quiet, and he could not find Lindsay or the children. He went upstairs to the master bedroom. He found that the door actually was initially locked. So he either broke in or unlocked it from the outside. And that's when he saw the blood in front of their full-length mirror. Then he noticed the open window. He ran back downstairs and outside the home and found Lindsay sprawled on the ground with very serious injuries.

Patrick Astor, where are the kids? Lindsay reportedly told him they were in the basement. And then as he ran to find them with 911 on the phone with the dispatcher, he finds all three of his children strangled with the exercise bands still around their necks. Five-year-old Cora and three-year-old Dawson. passed away that day. Eight-month-old Callan was rushed to Boston Children's Hospital, and despite all of the doctor's efforts, he died three days later. As for Lindsay, the fall caused catastrophic injuries. She suffered a thoracic spinal cord injury that left her permanently paralyzed

below the sternum. She also sustained multiple fractures in her cervical and thoradic vertebrae, along with multiple rib fractures. Lindsay has consistently maintained that our actions were compelled by a hallucatory voice, not a conscious decision. And in the months that followed, forensic experts began evaluating Lindsay's psychiatric history in the events leading up to that horrific day. One of the most significant evaluations came from Dr. Margaret Spinelli, a clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University and the founder of the women's

program in psychiatry at Columbia University Medical College. Dr. Spinelli conducted a comprehensive forensic psychiatric evaluation meeting with Lindsay for five hours at Tewksbury Psychiatric Hospital on June 11th, 2024, and speaking with her again by phone for three hours on September 6th, 2024. She also interviewed Patrick Clancy, Lindsay's sister Allison, her mother Paula Musgrove, and her mother-in-law, Susan Clancy. Dr. Spinelli diagnosed Lindsay with bipolar disorder. severe with psychosis and anxious distress with postpartum onset. She concluded that Lindsay had a baseline bipolar disorder that showed minimal symptoms after her second childbirth and that her condition worsened dramatically after her third birth when she was prescribed in antidepressant.

She explained that antidepressants can trigger manic or hypomanic symptoms and destabilized mood in people with underlying bipolar disorder. She said this is a well-neutral. known response. Dr. Spinelli also pointed out that Lindsay's providers never seemed to communicate with one another. She noted that no one ever asked Lindsay to describe the content of her intrusive thoughts, which were actually hallucinations. Instead of prescribing a mood stabilizer, Lindsay was repeatedly given antidepressants. She specifically criticized several providers. Regarding the initial Zoloft reaction, she said that if Lindsay's practitioners had recognized the hypomanic activation, a second or third antidepressant would never have been tried regarding

women in infants' hospital. She said that Dr. Diaz did not review Lindsay's mood symptoms from her previous pregnancy or the postpartum period. She also said that Dr. Diaz failed to review the hypomanic episode that began immediately after Callan's birth, which was the beginning of Lindsay's postpartum psychosis. Dr. Spinelli concluded by saying, quote, she did all that, that she could to obtain the appropriate treatment." Another expert, Dr. Paul Zaisal, a forensic psychologist, conducted extensive clinical interviews with Lindsay and her parents. He was the first forensic expert to engage with Lindsay in the immediate aftermath of the incident.

And he agreed with the assessments of Dr. Spinelli. Dr. Zaisal stated to a reasonable degree of psychological certainty that Lindsay's clinical course was significantly complicated by polypharmacy and the involvement of multiple prescribers. This, he said, is what obscured an accurate diagnosis and prevented appropriate intervention and treatment. He also noted that the psychotrophic medications Lindsay received appeared to have paradoxically worsened her underlying psychiatric vulnerability, precipitating a state of manic psychosis characterized by compelling command hallucinations. But even with everything, we just walked through, even with the medical reports, the expert evaluations and the fact that Lindsay was

actively trying to get help at every stage, the state's position is firm and it has remained firm for years now. Prosecutors believe that Lindsay is responsible for her children's deaths and that she planned to do it. That is the core of the their case premeditated murder. They argue that despite her mental health struggles, she absolutely understood her actions and knew they were wrong. And hidden true crime, one of our goals is to try to elucidate motive, right? But one of the, one of the difficulties of this case is motive is very, very difficult to determine. So for example, if you say that someone is in the throes of psychosis, severe psychosis, and they don't understand their conduct and their behavior,

right, and they can't determine right from wrong. It's hard to determine, under those circumstances, it's hard to say there's a motive. You say that, I mean, the motive, I guess, yes, it approaches something like a motive in the sense that she believes that her child, if she going to take her own life she believes that taking her children with her is going to benefit them because they will have a according apparently in her presumably psychotic state or delusional state seems like she was they're calling it more psychosis but in a psychotic state she has this belief that her children are going to be worse off without her and therefore they need to follow her into death.

But is that a pure motive? I mean, it's not a type of motive that the prosecution is laying out. No. It's not a motive that's based on premeditation and planning and deliberation. I mean, the prosecution, for example, is saying that her side follow. Well, first of all, that the children are found in the basement. they were killed sequentially, meaning that they were found in different places in the basement,

different rooms, different parts of the basement, which seems to show that she took her time to go to each child and to strangle them with the exercise cord. Those cords, by the way, were found still wrapped around their necks when the police entered the home. And then she went upstairs and she tried to harm herself. She cut herself.

She cut her neck and her wrists. And she threw herself out the window on the second floor, which was about 20 feet from the ground. She was paralyzed from that. But the prosecution, based on that, the prosecution is arguing, one of their arguments, I think, is that because the killings were sequential,

it shows that she had to give this a lot of thought, that it was quite deliberate and that she had to make a decision with each child, with the harm to each child to continue. And then she seemed to have a plan in terms of how she was going to handle it. this and then by attempting to harm herself, they presume there's some evidence of guilt because they're saying perhaps that she did that because she realized or understood what she had done

and that it was wrong, right, and immoral because she just took her kids' lives and now she throws herself out the window because she's guilty or feeling guilty. And this, this is where the legal system, it gets complicated. A person can have postpartum depression or postpartum anxiety. postpartum psychosis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or any other severe psychiatric condition, and still be found legally guilty if the jury concludes that they understood what they were doing and understood that it was wrong. The law is the law. The law doesn't automatically excuse someone because they were mentally ill. It asks whether the illness prevented them from forming

criminal responsibility. So if the jury decides the Lindsay was not criminally responsible because of postpartum psychosis. That also doesn't mean she simply goes home. In cases like this, a person is typically committed to a secure psychiatric hospital. They can remain there for years, sometimes decades. But at least only happens if a court determines they no longer, no longer pose a danger to themselves or others. In fact, that's where Lindsay has been all this time. Detained at Tewkesbury State Hospital. That brings up a lot of questions that people have been asking. How could Lindsay pose a danger to herself or others, that she is paralyzed from the chest down.

It's a fair question, but again, the court doesn't look only at physical capability. They consider ongoing self-harm risk, the stability of the person's mental illness and whether they require involuntary psychiatric treatment. Physical paralysis doesn't eliminate psychological danger. And if she were found guilty,

she wouldn't necessarily be sent to a typical prison in the way most people imagine. Correctional systems, they are legally required to provide medical care and accommodations for inmates with disabilities. So she could be housed in a prison, medical unit, or an accessible facility within the state system. She could be transferred to a specialized long-term care

correctional facility if her condition required more intensive treatment. If she were found not guilty by reason of insanity, she would almost certainly be committed to a secure psychiatric hospital rather than a prison. And again, even though she is paralyzed, the court's concern it's not limited to physical violence. They are considering whether she remains a risk for herself,

whether she needs ongoing involuntary treatment, and whether her mental illness is stable, right? Is it stable enough for her to live safely outside a secure setting? That being said, this trial is expected to last between four to six, to six weeks. Yeah, it's an incredibly long time for a trial. In an unusual request, the jury is expected to have 18 people, 18, 12 deliberating jurors and six alternates. Lindsay's husband Patrick, it's been reported that he may testify in her defense, and he has publicly stated that he forgives his wife. And he is asking members of the public to

do the same. In an interview, he said, I'm going to quote this. Quote, I wasn't married to a monster. I was married to someone who got sick. There's no house anymore. There are no kids. All that's left is me and Lindsay. I also want to read some of his really heartfelt post he made. Also, quote that, on social media. Patrick Clancy states, quote, thank you all for your love and support. The warmth I've received from the community is palpable, and your generosity gives me hope that I can focus on some sort of healing. I see and appreciate every one of you. A lot of people have said they can't imagine, and they're right. There's absolutely nothing that can prepare you. The shock and pain is excruciating and relentless.

I am constantly reminded of them, and with the little sleep I get, I dream about them. on repeat. Any parent knows. It's impossible to understand how much you will love your kids until you have them. The same goes for understanding the devastation of losing them. Cora, Dawson, and Callan were the essence of my life and I am completely lost without them. My family was the best thing that ever happened to me. I took so much pride in being Lindsay's husband and a dad. I always reminded myself that each day with them was a new gift. Callan usually woke up first and would rest his head on my shoulder for a few minutes as he adjusted to morning. Dawson typically saying or spoke his thoughts out loud for a while before we could go get him. Cora was a big girl and would simply walk downstairs.

I can still vividly picture her coming into the living room each morning with her hair in a mess, smile on her face. We always started our days together reading books, cuddling up on the couch and playing with magnet tiles. I loved taking them places, whether it was scooting at Chandler Elementary, vacation skiing out on a boat, or the Duxbury Beach, one of our favorite places on Earth. They gave me purpose, and I never took it for granted. There is now a massive void where that purpose once was. I want to share some thoughts about Lindsay. She's recently been portrayed largely by people who have never met her and never knew

who the real Lindsay was. Our marriage was wonderful and diametrically grew stronger as her condition rapidly worsened. I took as much pride in being her husband as I did in being a father and felt persistently lucky to have her in my life. You still remember the very moment I first laid eyes on her and can recall how overcome I was with the kind of love at first sight you only see in movies. It really didn't take long before I was certain I wanted to marry her. We said, I love you to each other multiple times daily, as if it were a reflex. We habitually started every morning with a passionate hug, yielding a sigh of relief like we had each received the perfect medicine.

If too much time passed without a hug, she'd look at me and ask, did you forget? We mutually understood the reality that people can have bad days, but we stuck to the rule that when one of us got lost, the other was always there to bring them home, always. She loved being a nurse, but nothing matched her intense love for our kids and dedication to being a mother. It was all she ever wanted. Her passion taught me how to be a better father. I want to ask her. all of you, that you find it deep within yourselves to forgive Lindsay, as I have. The real Lindsay was generously loving and caring towards everyone. Me, our kids, family, friends, and her patience. The very fibers of her soul are loving. All I wish for her now is that she can somehow find peace. Cora, Dawson, and Callan, you gave me so much in your short time here. I don't know if the

pain will ever go away, but I'll do my best to carry on in your honor. Data loves you so much, and I will always remember you. And quote, Patrick Clancy. So as we wrap this episode up, I think it's important to acknowledge the divide that naturally forms around a case like this. Some of you will look at what happened in the Clancy home and feel there is no explanation. that could ever justify the murder of three innocent children. You will believe that regardless of whatever Lindsay was dealing with mentally, she made the choice to take the lives of her children. For them, the horror of that decision stands on its own.

And then there will be some of you that see this differently. You will point to the months of documented decline, the medications, the warnings, the spiraling symptoms, and you'll argue that mental illness, especially postpartum mental illness, is deeply still, so deeply misunderstood. You believe this case exposes how fragile the system is for mothers who are suffering, how quickly things can escalate when treatment isn't working, how desperately reforms are needed, so that tragedies like Lindsay Clancy killing her children will never happen again.

wherever you are on this spectrum, it can often come down to how you see or understand mental illness and how you see and understand intent and motive and law, the letter of the law. And that's exactly what this trial is going to force all of us to confront the evidence, the expert testimony, the medical records, the timeline, the witnesses, the state's theory, the defense's argument, all of it will be laid out in the court piece by piece until a jury decides whether Lindsay Clancy is criminally

responsible for the deaths of her children. Yeah. And I want to add this. There are some cases but seem to simply ask for a verdict, right, for justice, guilty or innocent. And then there are other cases that ask something else. They ask something of us. This feels like one of those cases to me. Because I think this case exposes the basic assumptions each of us might bring into a courtroom. I'm going to suspect that many of us will walk away from this trial with some of those assumptions challenged. We'll follow the evidence here at Hidden 2 crime. We're going to follow the testimony

and the psychology and carefully and honestly we will present it as we always do. And we're going to continue doing what Hidden 2 crime has always tried to do. Look beyond the headlines and search for what is hidden. And so to everyone who has supported Hidden True Crime, whether you've been a hidden gem for years, or if you just found us today, thank you. Thank you for subscribing and for sharing our work and supporting our work. Your support allows us to spend time that these stories deserve, the time these stories deserve, looking beyond those headlines searching for what is hidden and never losing sight of the people at the center of them.